Fix Me
by xcountrygurlx
Summary: Zoe returns to Bluebell after her elongated stay in New York. She comes back with a heart-wrenching surprise that leaves all of Bluebell, but most of all, Wade, worried for her well being.
1. Coming Home

Fix Me

Zoe's P.O.V.

After a grueling four-hour plane ride from New York to Mobile, I was tired and ready to be back in Bluebell. But first, I'd have to sit through an awkward car ride with Lavon. If I survived that, than maybe it was a good sign for my future in Bluebell. I was waiting for my luggage when I spotted him. He still looked like the same guy I left behind six months ago, but his face had changed. He seemed older somehow, if that was possible. It had only been six months, how much could have changed?

"Hey." He greeted me when he saw me waiting for my luggage. I was nervous for some reason, but I wasn't sure why. If this was how it felt to confront my best friend after six months, I can't imagine how it's going to be when I see everyone else.

"Hi." I pulled him into a hug so we could divert the conversation for a few more seconds. He hugged me back to my surprise, which eased my tension a small amount.

"Well, well, if it isn't our famous city doctor, returning to Bluebell. It's about damn time," He chuckled when we separated.

"It's good to be back," I let out a small laugh as he retrieved my bags for me. After a few minutes of conversation, we were chatting like I had never left. But I had, which I'm sure he was still upset about.

"Lavon, I'm really sorry for leaving the way I did. I should have told you and said a proper goodbye, I just couldn't handle it, to be honest. And I know that's not fair to you, or to anybody in Bluebell, but I had to get away. Please don't be mad at me," I begged when we were on our way home in his Navigator.

"We're not mad at you Zo, we're all just a little hurt. You told us you'd be gone for three months in an email, and then three months comes and goes with no word from you. We were worried." I think I would've felt less guilt if they had been mad at me.

"I know, and I'm sorry for that. But, I do have a reason for that, I'm just not ready to talk about it yet. I have to tell someone else first," I said what I had rehearsed on the plane. He must have noticed the fear in my voice, so he just nodded, accepting that I wasn't going to go into detail quite yet.

"Well, whenever you're ready, we're here." He grabbed my hand over the middle console and squeezed it supportively. We rolled up to the plantation around 4 in the afternoon, but I was already tired. I knew I had to see some people, but they've been waiting six months, what is a few more hours going to hurt? He dropped me off at the carriage house and helped me get my bags out of the car.

"Is he, is Wade, uh, does he-?"

"Yeah, he still lives at the gatehouse. But he's still pretty upset. He knows you're coming back today, but I'm not too sure he wants to see you. He was crushed when you didn't come home, and he's trying to move on. He was pretty angry when I left him this morning," Lavon recounted to me how he had struggled when I left.

"But he's doing okay for himself now, he bought the Rammer Jammer, he's taking classes in Mobile to get a bachelor's degree, he's really stepped up his game. He did it all to impress you when you came back," Lavon trailed off at the end of his sentence, not wanting to press me anymore about how I failed to return after the first three months of my stay in New York.

"But I didn't come back…"

"Yeah." He was sympathetic to both of us when we had split, knowing I was hurting from Wade cheating on me, and knowing that Wade practically hated himself for what he had done, but now, things seemed different. It seemed like Lavon had become Team Wade while I was away, and I couldn't blame him for that. He made sure I was settled into the carriage house before taking off back to the main house. He told me that I should come up for dinner though. I told him I'd be there and went inside to unpack. Fatigue overcame me though, so I only managed to pull out a pair of pajamas and my pills, put clean sheets on the bed, and snuggle into my new old home.

I woke up around six, and was glad that I had woken up in time for dinner, which was at seven. I hopped in the shower and washed all of the plane grime off of my body, and washed my hair. My hair was thinner than usual, and I knew it was only a matter of time. I stepped out of the shower and looked at myself in the mirror. I used to love my body and the way I looked, but now, I just looked like a bag of bones. There were dark circles under my eyes and I looked like I hadn't slept in days instead of refreshed, like I should have been after my nap. I sighed, knowing there was little I could do about it, except put on some makeup and a cute outfit. Wade must not have been home because I had my hair dryer plugged in along with my curler and the fuse box didn't blow. I put on a pair of my infamous short shorts, a tank top with a cardigan over top, and a pair of sandals. My hair was dull, but there wasn't much I could do about that. I put one of my favorite watches on and headed out of my house. The five minute walk to the main house left me lethargic now, which was unusual. I guess it was time to accept my fate and that I couldn't keep doing all of the things I used to.

"Zoe, I'm so glad you're back!" Annabeth greeted me as I walked through the back door. I hugged her and missed how comforting she was. I could've used her while I was in New York.

"Aww, thanks AB, I missed you too!" I said enthusiastically. It was just the three of us for dinner, so I sat down at the island while Lavon and AB cooked supper. Spaghetti was on the menu tonight. Lavon was stirring the sauce while AB was making the garlic bread and salad.

"So Zoe, tell us all about New York!" Annabeth pretended like she was enthralled with the city life, but she was just asking to make conversation.

"It was okay, lots of working, you know, that kind of stuff."

"So why did you stay so long?" Wade burst into the door right as Annabeth asked me that.

"I've been wonderin' the same thing Doc." He said in his joking manner, trying to convince me that he didn't care that I didn't come home, but from what Lavon told me, he was still upset.

"You know, just got wrapped up in my old job. I love it when my hands are in a warm body." I tried to make a joke, but everyone just looked at me like I had shown them pictures. I laughed uncomfortably at the tension in the room.

"Okay," Annabeth paused after my awkward comment, "well Zoe, do you want red or white tonight?"

"Oh, I'll just take a water," I said, hoping, but knowing it wouldn't happen, that no one would say anything.

"Well, well, given up the bottle Doc?"

"Yeah, I don't drink anymore," I trailed off as things got awkward again.

"So uh Wade, I heard you bought the Rammer Jammer, that's great!" I said as I looked at him, but he wouldn't look at me back.

"Yepp, that place is my pride and joy." He said, taking a swig of his beer. Lavon put the spaghetti on the table and Annabeth followed with the bread and salad.

The conversation was light over dinner, but it was as good as could be expected. Wade didn't seem like he was outwardly mad at her, but she knew he didn't want things to be back to normal the way she did.

"So Big Z, I found this place in Mobile that makes sushi, and I thought that maybe one of these days we could go up there, I know how much you like that sushi," Lavon offered, and made me feel worse and rejecting his offer.

"Oh, I would love that, but I'm not really eating sushi anymore either." Wade just chuckled and I felt the tears start to pool around my eyes.

"So you go to New York for six months and come back a whole new girl thinking you're better than us," Wade had hit his breaking point I guess and I could feel my heart break for the second time that year. Any hope I had for him and I was slowly being diminished with every passing second. He stood up from his seat at dinner and stormed through the back door. The three of us sat in silence for a minute before Lavon spoke up.

"He's just still not used to you being back, that's all. He didn't mean it." Annabeth rubbed my shoulder as I looked down at my plate.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come back. Thanks for the dinner, I'm just going to head home though," I said as I pushed back my chair and hid my face so they didn't see the tears that were threatening to fall.

"A few feet away home or New York home?" Lavon asked, and I knew he meant it with sincerity, but it just hurt my already hurting heart.

"Here home, I'm not leaving again." I turned around to face him, knowing he was going to see me crying anyway.

"Big Z, I didn't mean anything by it, I was just askin," Lavon felt bad that he had made me cry, but he knew in his heart that it wasn't him who brought on the tears.

"I know Lavon, I know. Thanks for dinner you guys. I'm going to go try and have that talk that I was telling you about," I mentioned to Lavon and he nodded. I shut the door behind me and headed around the pond to the gate house. It was dark, but I knew he was in there. Probably drinking another beer.

I knocked on the doorframe a few times and waited. When I didn't get an answer, I started to talk.

"Wade? I know you're in there, can you just hear me out? Please?" I stood on my tiptoes to see if I could find him through the screen door. He came up to the door, but didn't open it.

"What do you want Zoe? What's so important that you want to talk about now instead of three months ago when you said you'd be back?"

"Wade, I can explain, just-"

"Doc, I waited around for three months waiting for a text, an email, a phone call, anything to let me know that you were okay and you would still be coming home. When you didn't come home, I gave up hope that you would ever come back, so sorry if I'm a little surprised to see you." He said sarcastically, but with anger in his voice.

"Wade, I wanted to come home after three months, I wanted to be with you! My bags were all but packed ready to come home, but…"

"You know what Zoe, you can't just waltz back into Bluebell like nothing ever happened, like you didn't leave for six months, and expect everything to be the same. You can't come to my door expecting for me to sweep you off your feet and feel the same way I did when you left! Six months is a long time!" He was yelling now, and I knew that Lavon and Annabeth could probably hear us if they were trying to listen.

"Wade, I'm telling you, I wanted to come home, I was ready to be with you, to be serious and have all of it with you, but I couldn't! You don't understand!" I yelled back and he pushed open the screen door and joined me outside. I backed away from the door and over to the side of the porch. I didn't want him to see me cry either. I looked out onto the plantation and took a breath.

"Then make me understand! Because as far as I can see, you were just being selfish and weren't thinking about the people you left behind!" His voice was laced with anger as he walked up behind me.

"I couldn't come home because I was sick Wade. I am sick."


	2. You Should've Told Me

"This ain't a joke Zoe. I hope you're talking about sick in the brain because trust me girl, I got that message loud and clear." He was still angry, but he tried to make a joke. I turned around to face him with the tears streaming down my face. His face changed from angry to concerned.

"But you don't mean that kind of sick do you?" Wade asked, rubbing his neck with his hand and looking down at the deck. I shook my head no and tried to wipe my tears away. I could tell he was embarrassed by his outburst now that I had revealed why I had been gone so long. He took a few steps closer to me and wrapped his arms around me to calm me down, and for the first time in six months, I felt a sense of comfort. I breathed in his smell, the smell that I had longed for after my countless stays at the hospital. After a few minutes, I had calmed down and he led me over to his porch swing. He sat next to me while I mustered up the courage to tell him.

"What kind of sick do you mean Doc?" He looked at me this time and his demeanor had changed completely from that of a few minutes ago. His voice was gentle and his facial expressions were kind.

"Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia." I heard him take a big sigh.

"Leukemia?" He took a big breath in, "When did you find out? How serious is it?"

"About three days before my flight back to Mobile. And it's not as serious as it could have been." I couldn't help but laugh. It was all just too ironic that as soon as I was ready to be happy that this would happen.

"And that's why you didn't come home…"

"I couldn't, I was scheduled for surgery two days after that. And then when that one didn't work, another one four weeks later. And that seemed to be successful in keeping it from spreading really, but we're trying a new method of treatment in pill form, so I have an appointment to set everything up in Mobile in a few days. But if that hasn't worked, then I have to start chemotherapy and radiation," I didn't dare look at Wade because I knew he'd just feel sorry for me, and that wasn't what I needed.

"Zoe, I'm so sor-" I interrupted him before he could finish.

"No, don't be sorry. I deserved everything you said, because it's true. All of it, I left without an explanation for most of Bluebell and I didn't contact anyone when I found out I wasn't coming home."

"You don't need to be sorry Doc, obviously, you had a lot more on your mind. I just wish I would've known. I wish there was something I could've done, or just been there at the hospital for you." I felt more guilt being piled on as he said that.

"I know, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I just figured everyone in Bluebell was mad at me for leaving on such short notice, and you'd be mad because I couldn't tell you how I felt before I left. I meant it when I said I was ready to come back home and have everything with you." I dropped my head down.

"Like I said, don't be sorry. So how'd this all happen anyway?" He picked up my hand and held it.

"Well I was finishing my residency at Belleview and I was feeling really worn down and just crappy overall. I was late, like really late, so I figured I should probably take a test. I did, and it was negative so I tried to forget about it. But one day I felt really shaky. I didn't trust myself enough to do a surgery, so I watched, and it's probably a good thing too. I passed out in the OR and the next thing I remember is waking up in the emergency room with tubes in my nose and an IV in my arm. They told me what they found and it was all a whirlwind from there. Surgeries, medicine, blood samples, MRIs, CT scans, everything. It's a type of blood cancer, so they're hoping that if these pills don't work, then chemo will. So we'll see." He remained silent, but his facial expression did all the talking for him.

"Who else knows?"

"In Bluebell? No one, I wanted you to know first because I felt that I owed you an explanation before everyone else. But this was just the first of many tough conversations I'm going to have," I said as I stood up from his porch swing.

"Where are you going?" He stood up and followed me.

"To tell Lavon and Annabeth, now that you know, it's not a big secret anymore."

"Let me come with. I love you Doc, and I want to be here for you, every step of the way. I want to be with you, I want to hold you, I want to keep you safe." He ran down the couple of steps to me on his lawn.

"I want that too." I whispered before he kissed me. It was a soft, gentle, but passionate, kiss that left me head spinning, for real. When we separated I closed my eyes to regain my composure.

"You alright Doc?"

"Yeah, I'm perfect actually." I smiled at him and he grabbed my hand as we walked back to the main house.

"You ready?" He asked me as we approached the back door.

"I already got the hardest one over with, so hopefully it's easy sailing from here."

"Before we go in, I just want you to know how truly sorry I am. For everything, for that stupid girl, for everything I said about you, for everything I didn't say to you, for all of the things I thought about you when you didn't come home, and for the way I treated you tonight. I feel awful 'bout it." He had sad eyes, and I immediately forgave him for his previous behavior.

"Like I said, it's okay Wade. I love you, and that means that sometimes, we just have to forgive each other." I gave him a small smile as he opened the door.

"Well look who it is AB? And both smiling, might I add." Lavon joked as he looked up from his dessert at the table.

"Not for long Lavon, there's something serious I need to tell you," I explained as I sat down on a chair at the table across from Lavon and Annabeth. Wade took the seat next to mine and held my hand underneath the table.

"Okay, what is it? You're scaring me Zoe." Annabeth said after I took a minute to gather what I was going to say in my head.

"You see, the reason I didn't come home right away was because I have cancer." I blurted out and both Lavon and Annabeth gasped.

"What do you mean cancer? Like skin cancer, right? The kind you have removed in one doctor's visit and then you're fine?" Annabeth asked nervously.

"Not so much, I have acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It's a type of blood cancer that makes me produce too many white blood cells that are malignant."

"Well acute means small right? So that's good!" Annabeth tried to find the positives in everything and that's what I loved about her.

"It's actually named that because of the short amount of time it takes from getting the disease to it killing you." I felt everyone at the table take in a sharp breath. Wade was still holding my hand, but he had the other one on his face.

"But, it's going to be okay I think, they caught it early enough that they are hoping with treatment it goes away. There's a 30-40% chance that I will have chemo and radiation and be completely normal." I tried to comfort them because I knew how it felt to be finding out news like this. I had faced this myself only three months before.

"You didn't tell me that Doc." Wade whispered and I looked over at him and noticed he was crying.

"It's going to be fine, and if I'm not, I can always send Gigi down here so you guys can get your city girl fix." I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.

"No, don't do that, how can you joke about this?" Lavon said, looking up from the table.

"Because I've had three months to process. And I've come to the conclusion that whatever happens happens, and I'm not going to waste however much time I do have on this earth being all sad and mopey. I'm going to make them worth it until I can't anymore." I had expected them to be upset, but I didn't realize just how upset they'd be. Lavon stood up from his chair and walked back into his office and slammed the door. That definitely wasn't the reaction I was expecting.

"Oh, Zoe, I'm so sorry, he's just surprised is all. You're his best friend, and I think he feels like he just got you back, and now you're being taken away from him again. I'll talk to him." Annabeth walked back to the office and I took this as our clue to leave.

"Well, you should probably get this girl to bed, I'm tired now more than ever." I looked at Wade who still had an expression on his face like someone had just killed me in front of him. He stood up without saying a word and walked back to our houses hand in hand, but silent.

When we got to where we had to separate, Wade hesitated, not knowing what to do, so I took the initiative.

"Hey Wade, maybe you could stay the night? I know we're taking things slow, but in light of the situation, I want to live every moment to the fullest and embrace each opportunity." I was nervous he would reject me, but I saw a small smile flicker across his face.

"Of course," He agreed and I led us back to my place. He was pretending to be okay with all of this, but I knew he wasn't.

"Wade, look at me." I said as I tipped his chin up to face me, "Stop worrying, everything's going to be fine, I promise, now get that sad look off your face and come be happy with me, please?"

"Alright." He agreed again and let a smile cover his face this time.

"Good." I went into the bathroom to change into my pajamas, and I knew what I was about to do was probably a bad idea, but I had missed him, and I wanted to feel his body again. I came out of the bathroom in new black lingerie, which I had bought just for the occasion. I stepped out of the bathroom and Wade's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Doc, I don't know what you-" I interrupted him by kissing him, hard. My tongue begged for entrance inside his mouth and finally he granted me access. I grinned through the kiss and after a few solid minutes of a full-blown makeout session, he pulled away.

"Zo, we really shouldn't, I don't want to hurt you, or make anythin worse than it already is," Wade protested.

"Wade, please, I've gone six months without sex, and if I have to have chemo, that will kill my sex drive completely, so if you want to have sex anytime in the next few months, now's the time," I begged him as he debated in his head.

"What if I played the 'I have cancer, give me what I want' card?" I joked, but he didn't find it funny like I did. I forgot that he was still digesting the news, while I had made light of the situation.

"Sorry, too soon?" He nodded his head, but he still had the idea of sex on the brain.

"Zoe, I want to do things right this time, I want to give you everything, and I want to take things slow. Sex doesn't really fit that description."

"What if we don't have time to take things slow?" I swallowed hard and waited for his reaction. "Is it because you don't feel the same way you used to? Or is it because I look different? I'm not stupid, I know I look gross now. I've tried to eat more, but I have no appetite; my hair is dull and stringy now; I look like a bag of bones basically and it's gross, I know that." I couldn't even look at him when I said that, I knew this would happen. I wasn't the same girl I was when I left Bluebell. My eyes welled with tears for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"I'm sorry, this was stupid, I'm just going to go change. You can go home if you want." I turned around to head back into the bathroom while I wiped my tears from my face.

"No, Zoe, that's not it! That's not it at all! Sure, you look a little different, but that's because you have cancer! I think you're just as beautiful as you were the day you left Bluebell. And sure, in the beginning I liked you because you were hot. But after I got over the initial shellshock of your physical beauty, I saw how amazing you are, both physically, mentally, emotionally, everything." He grabbed my arm to stop me from storming off into the bathroom. I winced and he released my arm immediately.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you!" He was instantly worried when it started to bruise.

"No, it's okay, it didn't even hurt, I just bruise really quickly now. I promise, it doesn't hurt at all," I plead as his eyes locked on mine and I felt like I could see everything he was feeling. Wade had always been that way though, she could read him like the back of her hand.

"See, I barely touched you and I'm hurting you. It's not that I don't want to, trust me, I do. And when the time is right, we will." I nodded at his response, but I wasn't happy about it.

"What now?" He said in a happier tone.

"It's just, by then I'll be really gross. I'll probably be bald and tired all the time…"

"Doc, it doesn't matter what you look like, I promise." He leaned in and kissed my forehead. I accepted the kiss and just stayed snuggled into his warm embrace for a few minutes. Eventually, we parted and I told him that I was going to go change if nothing was going to happen tonight. I came back out in one of his old t-shirts that I had brought with me to New York and a pair of shorts on and my hair up.

"Now that's a sight to see. My girl in my clothes. You must know how to take a man's breath away." I blushed at his comments and made my way to my bed. He shrugged his jeans off and removed the t-shirt he had worn to dinner.

"That's not fair! We can't have sex, but you can tease me like that! You're practically naked!"

"And you weren't four seconds ago? Plus with a body like mine, who doesn't want to show it off. And I never told you to change girl." I grinned when I heard him say that, it made me feel like things were getting back to normal again.

"Hey Wade?"

"Mhmm?"

"What are we? Like I told you how I feel, and you told me how you feel, but what exactly does that make us?" I asked nervously and bit my lip.

"Well what do you want us to be?" He propped his head up on the pillow as he asked me.

"I think I made that pretty clear, don't you think?" I laughed, but again, nervously.

"Than it would be my honor if you would accept the title of Wade Kinsella's girlfriend, that's how they do it in New York, right?" He laughed when I hit him in the chest with my hand.

"Well I'm not really into New York guys, sorry." I winked at him and he feigned rejection. We both laughed for a few seconds.

"No, but for real, I would love to be your girlfriend Wade Kinsella."

"Good, because I would love to be your girlfriend too Zoe Hart."

"It never stops with you does it?" I grinned, knowing that Wade wasn't holding any grudges. I was really worried when Lavon told me how mad he was, which got me to thinking this was all just because I told him I was sick.

"What can I say, I'm easy on the eyes and smooth with the jokes. It doesn't get any better than that." I could feel his smirk even though my back was to him. He snuggled up to me and put his arms around my waist.

"God you're so tiny now. I feel like I could just crush you. Roll over on top of you like a baby."

"What kind of analogy even is that?" I laughed at his attempt to make a joke. I pushed the thoughts of Wade only being here out of pity out of mind for another day and decided to just enjoy the moment now that I was finally back in Wade's arms.


	3. I'm Fine

Fix Me

I woke up feeling weaker than ever and instantly knew why. I was supposed to take my pills three times a day, but I missed my before bed pills because I was obviously a little pre-occupied.

I rolled over to see the bed was empty. I hopped out of bed for two reasons, to find my pills, and to find my boyfriend. I rummaged through my purse, which was sitting on the coffee table. I finally pulled out my pill container and took yesterday's pills and this morning's. I chugged them down with a bottle of water before I turned around to see if Wade was around. He was sitting at my desk, but on his laptop. He must have snuck out this morning and grabbed it. He was staring at me smiling. He had on his glasses, which were a rarity, even more rare than me wearing mine.

"In a hurry there?" I nodded before gulping my water down.

"I like the glasses, they're cute," I told him as I sat on his lap and he closed the computer.

"Well I happen to think that you're cute. How ya feelin today?"

"I'm okay, you know taking all of this one day at a time."

"Well what can I do to help?" I shook my head when I couldn't think of anything.

"What's on the computer?" My curiosity peaked, so I questioned his quick actions to hide whatever is on his laptop from me.

"Nothing you need to worry about missy," he joked.

"Wade, I told you before, I don't care if you watch porn, just not while I'm here! We've been over this!"

"For the last time, I wasn't watching porn! I was watching a movie, you just came in at the wrong time!" He defended himself. I laughed because I only brought it up because of his reaction.

"What do you say we get some nourishment in you?" He suggested.

"As much as I'd love to, I don't think I'm very welcome at Lavon's…"

"I don't think that's it at all babe, he's just worried. We all are. But if you don't want to go, then we could go to the Rammer Jammer? I could show you what I've done to the place." He tapped on my leg and I leaned my head back onto his chest.

"But that means we have to go out in public," I groaned while laughing.

"What, are we going to be hermits now? You were the one who said yesterday that it's no secret anymore." He had a point, I did say that. It was just tough, do I just announce it? Do I have to tell everyone individually?

"No, I want to see everyone, I'm just nervous."

"What for? It's not like they can hate you, no one could ever hate you." He kissed my neck, which made me giggle.

"Oh, I can think of plenty of people. George for instance? Lemon probably, Lavon seems pretty mad at me, I'm just lucky you aren't mad at me." I smiled and kissed him on the lips.

"So what's your decision? Lavon's or the Rammer Jammer?" I pondered the decision, but decided that I wasn't going to live my life being nervous about what people thought about me. And if they hated me for not coming back, I had a pretty good reason to defend myself.

"I want to go to the Rammer Jammer, but I don't want people's pity. I don't want people thinking that I came back here so they could all dote on me and feel like what's happening is a tragedy. I mean, yeah, it sucks, but that doesn't mean it's going to kill me. We don't know much yet, so who knows? I could be around to nag you your whole life," I teased Wade and he grinned.

"I would love that. So let's go to the Rammer Jammer, and you can tell people, or you can not say anything. You don't owe any of them an explanation. You say however much you want. But I promise you, that they will all want to do whatever possible to help." I stood up and twisted my hair into a bun, it looked fuller that way, and it made me look more put together. I walked back to my room where my suitcase was and flipped it open to pick out an outfit.

"What about that tank top you wore yesterday? I really liked that." Wade suggested when he noticed my struggle.

"I'd have to wear the cardigan though, and it's so dang hot out." I explained and he questioned me as to why.

"Wade, I've got bruises all over, I'm a mess. I don't want people thinking I'm a victim of abuse! I'd rather just avoid the questions all together." Wade winced when I brought up my bruises.

"Well why don't you keep that shirt of mine you stole and put on a pair of shorts. This isn't a fashion show as much as you'd like to think it is." He smirked. That smirk made me melt every time.

"I did not steal it! It just so happens that you left it at my place! It's not my fault you leave your things everywhere!" I jokingly defended myself as I pulled on a pair of jean shorts. I looked in the mirror and still felt a bit self-conscious.

"I don't know Wade, people are going to be curious when I show up in this. This isn't normal Zoe Hart attire."

"It is now. Come on girl, I'm starvin'!"

"Give me two seconds!" I quickly threw on ¾ long sleeve shirt that was a bit flowy so it didn't show off just how much weight I'd lost and I put a pair of sandals on my feet while quickly putting on some eye makeup and some foundation and blush so I didn't look as flushed and ran out the door after Wade after grabbing my sunglasses.

"I'd say it's about damn time, but it was definitely worth it. You look amazin Doc." He put his arm around me and I couldn't help but marvel in his handsomeness too. All he had to wear was a white t-shirt and jeans and I couldn't picture anything sexier. His sunglasses were a nice touch too.

"You want to drive?" He asked me when realizing the once quick walk might take longer and be a lot more tiring.

"No, let's walk." I smiled. The walk couldn't be too long and it was a nice day out. I took his hand and walked into town. The walk took about twenty minutes and we had to take a few stops along the way. We arrived at the Rammer Jammer and knew what awaited me inside. The judgment was just through that door and I was terrified. Wade must have sensed me tensing up and he squeezed my hand.

"We don't have to do this, ya know?" We paused and I took a deep breath in.

"No, let's do it. It's now or never." He led me to the door and opened it. He held it for me, but I was hesitant to accept it, I was wishing that he would go first so I didn't have to face everybody as soon as I walked in the door. He seemed to take the hint and walked in front of me and held the door behind me so I could walk behind him. Everyone's eyes were on Wade anyway, hoping that he knew something about my return, which, in fact, he did. When they saw me walk in behind him, everyone started to gossip. I could hear the whispers and I tried to ignore it. Wade led me to the bar and I sat on a stool and he walked behind the bar to grab menus.

"What looks good Doc?" He asked after I rummaged the menu.

"Hmm, how about the oatmeal?"

"Alright, I'll be right back." He winked at me and vanished behind the bar. I finally had a chance to look around at all of the things that Wade had done to this place. It looked great, cleaner for sure, but a bit brighter. It still had it's original vibe, but it was Wade's now. He had made it his own.

"Oh my gosh Zoe! I'm so glad you're back!" Wanda squealed when she came back from the kitchen and saw Zoe.

"Oh Wanda! Hi! How are you? Oh my gosh! Pregnant? That's great!" I hugged her from my seat and realized how much I really had missed in Bluebell while I was gone.

"Yep, five months! We're so excited! How have you been? You look so skinny! That's what everybody in New York looks like though right? All skinny minnies up there."

"Yep!" I feigned enthusiasm and chuckled.

"Well you'll have to tell me all about it someday, but I've got to get back to work. I'll see you later!"

"Don't let Wade work you too hard!" I called after her when Wade came back out. He smirked and placed the oatmeal in front of me. He had a plate of eggs for himself and two glasses of orange juice. While enjoying our breakfast, Dash came and sat next to me at the bar.

"Look who's made their way back to town, Dr. Zoe Hart. So I see you two enjoying breakfast together, what does that mean for 'Zade.'"

"It means Dash that 'Zade' is back on." Wade laughed at the incredulous demeanor of the town while confirming their relationship.

"Well now, let me ask you this, why did you take her back so easily? She left this town for six months without any explanation." Zoe wasn't surprised at his questions; she knew they were coming.

"Dash, that's a little rude, don't you think? That doesn't matter. What matters is that she's home now." Wade stepped in, but I stopped him.

"Wade, it's okay. They deserve to know why I didn't come back," I took a deep breath and knew there was no going back after this, "The reason I didn't come home; the burning question on everyone's mind…How about I give you an exclusive Dash?" He nodded enthusiastically, excited that he would be the first one with the news.

"I'm sick Dash. I have cancer. There's your ground breaking story." I whispered so only he could hear me.

"Cancer? What do you mean? What kind of cancer?" He was certainly surprised, but he managed to keep his voice down low.

"Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia." Dash was writing furiously on a napkin.

"Leukemia! That's serious Zoe Hart, what's the prognosis?"

"Most likely, chemo starts in a few weeks. My pills aren't working."

"What do you mean they aren't working? How do you know?" Wade asked me.

"I don't feel any better, and look at me, I sure don't look better." I mumbled into my oatmeal.

"Is it too early to start drinking?" I joked and Wade gave a half-smile.

"Considering you can't drink, yes, I'd say it is." Dash was scribbling furiously and looked up only when the conversation stopped.

"Well, what else?"

"What, that wasn't enough of a story for you?" I retorted when he expected more.

"Well, is that why you came back? Because you're sick?"

"No that's not why I came back! I was going to come back anyway, but right before I left, I found out and I wasn't allowed to leave the city. They were the best suited for the surgery. My mom donated bone marrow, but it didn't work as well as they'd hoped, but it is keeping the cancer from spreading for now."

"So what next?"

"Next, I go to the doctor in Mobile in a few days and see what the doctor there says. Most likely, he'll say three rounds of chemo, and then another surgery if we can get a donor. Then 5 rounds of chemo, and hopefully I'll be in remission." Wade felt like he was learning more and more about my condition the more people I told.

"Well, Zoe, the story will be live in an hour. I'm so sorry, this isn't a story I want to report." Dash said looking down at his napkin.

"No, it's okay Dash, at least everyone will know now, and it feels like a weight off my shoulders, really." Dash rubbed the top of my hand supportively and looked at me before he walked away.

"It's only a matter of time now, do you want to take a walk?" I asked Wade when we both finished our breakfast. He nodded and we left the bar. He grabbed my hand, which was clammy.

"Where to Hart?"

"Wherever the road takes us Kinsella…"

"What's going on in that head of yours?"

"A lot actually."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. Anything in particular?" His eyebrows raised when he said that.

"A few things…I just, all of this has got me thinking a little, and I hate to bring it up, but I just want to make sure that you aren't doing this just because I'm sick." I breathed out fast.

"Doing what?"

"Us, being back together…"

"Zoe, what are you talking about? Of course that's not why I'm back with you. The only reason I was mad was because you didn't come home. And now you're home and you have a perfectly good explanation for why you didn't come home. I love you Doc, and I never stopped. It's killing me to see you like this. I just want to take all of your pain away." He pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. I nodded while I started to cry.

"I'm sorry, I know it was stupid. These pills are just making me emotional I guess and I don't feel well and I just want –" I stopped talking when my head started spinning.

"Want what? You alright Doc?"

"Yeah, I just need to sit down I think." I kept my hand on my head as I tried to blink away the blurriness in my eyes.

"Okay, well there's a bench right over here." He put his hand on the small of my back and led me to the bench.

"Doc, about earlier though, if you need to hear that I love you, I could stand here having that conversation all day. I'm worried about you, do you want me to call Lavon and he can come pick us up?"

"No, I just need to rest for a minute, get my bearings." I sunk down onto the bench and looked around at the deserted town. Everyone was in church right now, per usual. After eating at the Rammer Jammer for breakfast, they all made their way to second service.

"It's alright Doc, just take a few breaths." I nodded and tried to breath, hoping to cure the pain in my head. He noticed my hands shaking and put his hand on my forehead.

"God Doc, you're burning up! Let me go get Brick."

"No don't leave! Just take me home, I'll be fine, I just need to sleep it off."

"You're shaking Zoe, I'm worried," he said as he looked around to see if he could find anyone to help. I saw the look of panic in his eyes when he couldn't find anyone. I took a breath and stood up, but that only made my head worse.

"I'm fine Wade, see, I just want to go home." I took a few steps towards the plantation and heard Wade's footsteps quickly behind me.

"Zoe, just stop, let me get someone to pick us up!" I heard his words, but my brain wasn't comprehending them. My legs suddenly felt like they couldn't bear my weight and as I felt gravity working against me, it seemed almost as if my brain just shut off.


	4. Thank You For Taking Care Of Me

Fix Me

Wade's P.O.V.

"I'm fine Wade, see? I just want to go home." Zoe was stubborn as always, but this was her safety that I was worried about. I ran after her and pulled out my phone, ready to call Lavon.

"Zoe, just stop. Let me get someone to pick us up!" I yelled as I dialed his number. I quickened my pace to catch up with her, which wasn't hard because she wasn't moving very fast. She finally slowed down, but I could tell it wasn't for my benefit. She started stumbling and my brain stopped. I didn't know what else to do except catch her. I slid under her right in time and her head landed in my lap.

"Zoe!" I was yelling, shaking her gently. I frantically pulled my phone out and dialed Brick. When he didn't answer, I went through pretty much everyone's phone number I had in town, but they were all in church. I couldn't leave Zoe, I just had to hope that someone would come out. We hadn't made it too far from the Rammer Jammer, but I knew Wanda had stayed behind from church just incase anyone did stop by. I called the office phone and she answered right away.

"Hello?"

"Wanda, thank God, you've got to help me. You have to find Brick, please, and hurry. I'm near the practice!" She hurried off the phone to go retrieve Brick from church. All I could do is hold Zoe. I felt so helpless. About three minutes later, Brick arrived with Wanda in toe. I could only imagine that the rest of Bluebell was hiding around the corner.

"What happened?" He asked as he rushed down to see Zoe.

"I don't know! We were just going for a walk! And she got all sweaty and feverish and she looked awful. I said I was going to call someone to come pick us up and she said no, she wanted to walk and then she just fell to the ground." Brick nodded as he started to check her over.

"Brick, do you know yet? About her?" I asked hesitantly. This was her news to share, and I didn't want her to feel like I was betraying her, but he had to know.

"Know what son?" He asked as he took her vitals.

"She's got cancer Brick; Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Is she going to be okay?" He wasn't saying much, which only worried me more.

"Did you see her take any medicine today?"

"She took her pills this morning, but I mean that's all I've seen. She just got in last night, I don't know how she normally is, I don't know if she was more tired than normal or anything." I wracked my brain trying to think if there were any signs she was acting funny.

"Wade, call an ambulance, just in case. She should be fine, but I'm not an oncology specialist, so it's probably best that she gets checked out," he said, standing up, "Let's get her into the practice." I obliged and carried her to the nearby practice. The ambulance was on it's way and all I could do was wait.

"When did she find out about this?" Brick was still shocked about the revelation.

"About 3 and a half months ago. That's why she didn't come home. I don't know what to do, Brick. I feel like she's the one who's keeping me from falling apart over this, when it should be me protecting her and assuring her that everything's going to be okay. But I don't know if that's true. I spent most of the morning on the computer reading everything there is on this disease and I just don't understand. Why her?" I finally said how I was really feeling about the situation, to Brick, oddly. I felt some tears prick my eyes.

"Wade, there really is no explanation for why the people who get ALL do, but there isn't anything she could have done to prevent it. It's a pretty aggressive cancer, to be honest. But if what she said was true, then they caught it early. Lord knows that girl is headstrong and always gets her way. There's no denying that." He gave me a reassuring half smile.

"Do you know anything else about her prognosis?"

"She said that they did a bone marrow transplant after they found out, but that wasn't as effective as they had hoped. So now she's on these pills, but she thinks she's going to have to do some rounds of chemo because she didn't feel like they were working. I hoped she wasn't, but I guess she was right about that." Brick nodded and took all the information in.

"Look, I know it's a lot to hear, I just found out last night, but she was going to tell you. There should be a Zoe exclusive going up soon on Dash's blog after he harassed her for information at breakfast this morning. She told him everything, and he's posting it." I tried to make Brick feel a bit better, but it didn't seem to help. The paramedics arrived soon and asked the same questions Brick did. They strapped her down to a stretcher and wheeled her outside. I walked along side it, holding her hand. Unfortunately, most of Bluebell came over to see what all of the commotion was that dragged Brick out of church. I hopped in the back of the ambulance with Brick as Brick filled them in on Zoe's situation. We arrived about 20 minutes later to the Mobile Hospital. They wheeled her off to a room and told me to wait in the waiting room. I sat down next to Brick and remembered I should call Lavon. He answered after a few rings.

"Wade, how is she?" To my surprise, he already knew and was on his way.

"I haven't heard anything yet, but Brick says she'll be okay he thinks."

"Good, well we'll be there in about 20 minutes!" I hung up the phone and took a deep breath in. This really wasn't how I was expecting my reunion with Zoe was going to go, a cancer revelation and a hospital visit.

"Wade?" A nurse approached the two of us and we stood up.

"Yes, this is Brick Breeland, her GP, he came in with us."

"Nice to meet you sir. Well Zoe is awake, and she's attentive and she was able to help us figure out what happened today. She forgot to take her medicine last night and so when she woke up this morning, she took last night's and this morning's dosages. That just put her system into overdrive and this was just her body telling her to slow down. I've heard that it's been an eventful few days for her, with moving back to Alabama and all, so that has definitely been some added activity. Since she was supposed to come back in a few days anyway, we had the oncologist look at her, we took some blood, and he decided that we should forge ahead with the chemotherapy now." We both nodded our heads, knowing that was probably what was best.

"Brick, I'm sure you know the chemotherapy cycle, but I'll go over it for you too, as we've already talked to Zoe. We're going to start off with the induction step. This is going to be the most physically draining for her. Lots of rest is the key to getting through this next month. She'll have an injection done today, a mixture of Vincristine and Dexamethasone, which will be in her system for about a week, then she'll have a week to recuperate. She'll have to come back after that first week just to see how she's doing with the treatment. Then, she will come back for another round in two weeks. Again, she'll have it in her system for about a week, and then a week of rest. When she got here, we gave her a local anesthetic and did a spinal tap to test her cerebrospinal fluid for the leukemia cells. Luckily, none were found, so regular chemotherapy will be sufficient. After those two rounds of chemo, she will hopefully be in what we call remission, and that means that there are no more leukemia cells showing up in our tests, but some may still be hiding out. That's when we go into the consolidation stage."

"The consolidation stage is basically a few more rounds of chemotherapy for the next few months with a higher dosage of the drugs so that we can ensure the diseased cells are being killed. During that stage we will assess if she needs to go through with the allogeneic stem cell transplant, which would reduce the change of relapse. After those few months, we will be in the maintenance stage. We will change her drugs to Methotrexate and 6-mercaptopurine. We will continue maintenance for about 2 years after that, but the maintenance stage is much easier, it can be given in pills, or an at-home treatment so she doesn't need to come here as often." She gave us a mouthful and my mind was trying to retain all of the information.

"Can we see her?" Was the only question on my mind at the moment, which made the nurse smile.

"Yes, but since chemotherapy increases the risk of infection, I do ask that you wash your hands. After we get the chemo in her, she will be free to go. But I did want to give you this list, it just has all of the side effects of the chemo, and what to expect within the next few days." She handed me the sheet and I glanced over it. There was a long list of side effects on there, hair loss, mouth sores, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, increased risk of infection, easy bruising and bleeding, fatigue, numbness in extremities. My mind wandered to how she was going to go through all of this and live on her own. I was only next door, but even that felt too far away.

We walked to her room and the nurse handed us surgical masks to wear over our faces after we washed our hands. I cracked my head in the door before entering, seeing as she was still awake.

"Hi." I heard her voice, but all I could see was the tubes in her nose, the IV in her arm, and how small she looked in the hospital bed.

"Doc…" A swallowed the lump in my throat, knowing that I had to be strong for her because if I broke down, I knew she would too.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you like that. I should really learn to listen to my body more, huh?" She half smiled, making light of the situation.

"That's a must from now on." I pulled one of the chairs close to her bed and sat down. Brick came in through the door and Zoe was surprised.

"Brick! You didn't have to come, now I'm really embarrassed, I scared you both and you both look ridiculous in those masks." She blushed.

"Are you kidding me Zoe? Of course I'm here! When you're called to come attend to your former coworker who's become like a daughter to me because she's unconscious and not waking up, it's a big deal. You scared the hell out of me, I didn't even know." He said in a loving tone, which surprised me. I always knew Brick had a soft side for Zoe, but I never thought I'd see him admit it.

"I know, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was going to soon, tomorrow actually when I went to see if I could have my job back maybe?"

"Zoe, you can't be working like this! You nee your rest, but you know that once you get better, there's an office waiting for ya." He patted her hand.

"I know, I just don't know what I'm going to do with myself, I'm going to have so much free time."

"Well I'm sure Lavon can keep you company at the house when I have to work, and if not, there's only about two hundred people in Bluebell who have nothing to do with their days anyway." I spoke up, trying to make her feel better.

"I don't know if Lavon wants to see me right now." She sighed, I knew she was hurt by his actions last night, but I also knew that he needed time to digest the information.

"Oh, Lavon Hayes wants to see you alright." I heard my best friend's booming voice behind me. I turned around and saw him standing there with Annabeth, both with masks on. I looked to Zoe and saw a smile plastered on her face.

"Do you guys mind if I talk to Zoe alone for a second?" He asked and we obliged. I said something about going to get coffee and Brick and AB joined me.

Zoe's P.O.V.

Lavon sat at the bottom of my bed when everyone else had left. He looked at me for a few seconds before saying anything.

"Big Z, I'll start by saying I'm sorry. I'm sorry for the way I acted last night, and I'm sorry for making you feel like you couldn't tell me what was going on with you. I'm just scared, that's all. I hate seeing you like this, it kills me. You're my best friend, and I don't want to go have to find a new best friend." He paused and I smiled.

"You won't have to Lavon, I promise, I'll be okay," I reassured him, and he grabbed my hand.

"That's why I wanted to ask you if you would move into the main house. I've got plenty of space, and AB and I talked it over in the car, and neither of us are really comfortable with you living by yourself out there. And the fact that Wade will never want to leave your side was also brought to our attention, so we're going to ask him, as well. We have more than enough room for the four of us, and since I moved upstairs, there is that bedroom that is on the first floor. We'd like you and Wade to take it, until you're feeling better, of course, however long that might be."

"Wow, Lavon, I don't know what to say. I mean I wouldn't want to impose at all, you and AB are still in your honeymoon phase, and-"

"And you think you and Wade aren't? Listen, Zoe, we talked it over, and we think that's what's best for you right now."

"Well I guess I can't really say no, can I? You know how I feel about that mattress in there." I joked, hoping to relieve some of the stress he was feeling.

"Good, then it's settled. I still have to talk to Wade of course, but I'm sure he'll follow you wherever." I stifled a laugh which caused pain in my lower back and I grimaced.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, they just gave me a spinal tape earlier and the anesthetic is wearing off. I'll be fine though. Lavon, you know what this means right?"

"What?"

"Every night is going to be like a big slumber party!" Lavon rolled his eyes, which signified that he was returning to his old self.

"Lord help me if that's true." He laughed.

"So does everyone in Bluebell know?"

"Yeah, they all know now, I mean the Dash blast wasn't too subtle, but you had to go and have an ambulance called just so everyone knew? This is drawing all the crazies in." Lavon couldn't help but laugh at the citizens of his town, who were knowingly crazy at times.

"Oh god, I really don't want their pity, or whatever it is they have. I just want things to be normal again."

"Oh don't worry, we already had that conversation. After word got out, we had a little town meeting after church. They were all instructed to treat you normally and not be bothersome, but you know Bluebell, that's wishful thinking.

"Thank you Lavon for doing that. I appreciate it."

Sometime later, Wade, Annabeth and Brick joined us. The three of them left when my chemotherapy treatment was ready. Wade sat next to me and held my hand through the entire procedure, which took about an hour. Lavon and Annabeth had driven separately, so Lavon left his car for us to drive back. I was felling pretty drowsy on the way home, but I was fighting sleep.

"So, did Lavon tell you about moving into the main house?"

"He did, and I think he's right. That way there's three of us there if you need anything. Plus that mattress is about 12 times comfier than mine, so I ain't complainin."

We arrived back at the house and I took my handful of papers I had received and went straight to bed. It was around 4 when we got home, and Wade woke me around 7.

"Sorry to wake you, but we're putting away dinner, and I didn't know if you wanted anything?" He crouched down next to the bed so we were on the same level.

"No, I don't want what you guys had, but I'll make myself some toast," I said sitting up in bed.

"Don't you dare move a muscle Doc, I got it." He stood up and started to leave the room.

"With some sugar on it!"

"Sugar on it, I know you Zoe Hart, of course there's going to be sugar on it." Wade finished my sentence for me, knowing what I was going to say.

He came back a few minutes later with two pieces of toast and a glass of water. I really wasn't hungry, but I knew I had to eat, otherwise, we might have another situation like earlier. I could only take my nausea medicine with food, so I thought toast was better than nothing. Wade handed me the bottle of pills and I cracked it open. I took one and chased it down with water. I could only eat one piece of the toast he made me, but he happily accepted my second piece.

We laid in bed watching TV for about an hour before I started to feel worse. I could feel the toast rising in my throat and I quickly sat up in bed. Wade must have been reading my mind because he jumped up and grabbed the bucket that they put in my room.

Wade held the bucket with one hand and my hair with the other. After two minutes of solid puking, I was finally finished and slightly embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, you really shouldn't have to see that." I wiped my mouth as he set the bowl down on the dresser.

"Baby, it's fine, but let's get you cleaned up." I went to the connecting bathroom to brush my teeth while he rinsed out the bucket of throw up. I went and sat on the bed, waiting for him to return. Meanwhile I looked around and noticed that most of my necessities had been brought over from the carriage house. Wade really was trying hard, but I didn't know why. He certainly already had a spot in my heart.

"What about a bath babe? That might make you feel better, and I found all of your little pamperin' supplies under the sink in your bathroom and brought 'em over, figured you'd like 'em." I smiled because he knew me so well.

"Only if you're in there with me."

"Well Doc, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're tryin' to seduce me." He grinned again, which only made the prospects of our bath even better.

"You know me so well." I winked at him and he followed me into the bathroom. That's what I loved about Lavon's, he had bathtubs. Wade didn't have a bathtub, and mine was old and gross. I started the water and put it at a pretty hot temperature and poured in the bubble bath.

"That smells real good Doc." Wade sniffed the air while putting his toothbrush and his other toiletries in the bathroom.

"You better not go using all this Kinsella! I'm gonna have to start marking how much I use every time." I reminded him of the time he used my shampoo for laundry detergent.

I stripped down and got in the tub and let the hot water surround me. The lights dimmed, which I could only assume was Wade's doing. A few seconds later, Wade was in behind me, his wet chest pressed against my back. He leaned back and pulled me back with him. We sat in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.

"Thank you." I mumbled with my eyes closed.

"For what? He kissed the side of my head.

"For being you, for taking care of me today."

"I will take care of you everyday until the end of time Doc." He whispered in my ear, which was the most exciting, but also relaxing feeling.

"I love you Wade."

"I love you too Hart."


	5. Because You Shouldn't Have To

Fix Me

**Zoe's P.O.V.**

I woke up around 11 in the morning and found myself in an empty bed. I felt worse than I had felt when I woke up yesterday morning, but that's to be expected I guess. I swung my legs to the side of the bed and pushed my weight against them so I was standing. I took the few steps to my suitcase, and pulled on one of Wade's t-shirts. I pulled my hair off of my neck and into a loose ponytail. I put a pair of leggings on because it was freezing in here. I guess that was just a perk of living at Lavon's, central air conditioning. I went over to the door and turned the knob. I found only Annabeth in the kitchen.

"Hey AB, where are the boys?" I asked and sat down on a stool at the island.

"Good morning! Wade had a class this morning in Mobile, but told me to tell you that he's sorry he didn't tell you, he didn't want to wake you. And Lavon is doing business with Lord knows who, the usual!" She laughed and poured me a cup of coffee, "What can I get you for breakfast?"

"Oh, AB, I can get it myself, I'm not elderly, just cancerous." I smirked at the end, glad that I was finally able to joke about it because there really was no other option.

"Don't be silly. We're here to help you and make this whole thing as easy for you as we can. So nonsense, what can I get you?"

"Just some dry cheerios? I'm not that hungry." Annabeth pulled the cereal box from the shelf and poured it into a bowl and placed it in front of me.

I picked at the cereal and drank a small bit of my coffee.

"So what're your plans for today?"

"Well, I have to run to the store, and I'll go around 2 because Wade should be back by then, his class started at 9. And then who knows, probably just making dinner. Which reminds me, here's the list, add anything you want." She handed me the notepad. I read over her list, which had Lavon's, hers, and Wade's handwriting scribbled all over it. I glanced the items, knowing immediately who had written what. Annabeth had more of the eggs and grapes items, while Lavon had steaks and chicken breast. Wade on the other hand, had written kit-kats, marshmallows and lucky charms.

I froze when I saw that Annabeth had written tampons on the list. If I let my mind wander too much, it would only end badly, but I let it anyway. I got my period very abnormally now, and I hadn't even thought about how this cancer would affect my abilities to have children. It's not like I wanted them right away, but someday I do. I want little Wade's running around and him chasing them, but I didn't dare tell him that. It would be a bad move if you mention wanting kids to your boyfriend of 3 days.

It didn't feel like three days though, it seemed like she'd been with him for a lifetime. They had so much history between the two of them and it was hard to remember that they had only been together for 3 whole days.

"Earth to Zoe, need anything at the store?" Annabeth broke me out of my trance and I nodded my head.

"Oh, yeah, just some crackers, like saltines. That seems to be about all I can stomach now." She wrote it on the list and l pushed away my cereal. I was finished for now and I felt my eyelids getting heavy again. I yawned and rested my head on my arms.

**Wade's P.O.V. **

I drove home from Mobile as fast as I could because I knew Annabeth had things to do today and I didn't want Zoe to be alone. I pulled up to the plantation and hopped out of the car. I went in through the backdoor and found Zoe, who looked like she was asleep in her seat, and Annabeth, who was reading a book.

"She fell asleep almost 2 hours ago. I tried to wake her up but she kept mumbling that she was comfortable where she was." Annabeth explained while laughing when she saw my incredulous expression.

"That girl never does anything she doesn't want to do. I should be home for the day now, so you can go ahead and do your thing," I relieved Annabeth of her duties and she picked up her purse and took the grocery list with her.

"Baby, let's get you to bed, that doesn't look comfortable at all." I whispered in her ear. She nodded and I picked her up, taking her to our bedroom. I worked on my laptop for a few hours while she slept. I couldn't help but feel angry. She didn't deserve this. I didn't deserve this. I had already gone through this. Sure, it was 14 years ago, but that didn't make it any easier. Lavon walked in the door and noticed my obvious distress.

"What's up?"

"I just, I don't know how to deal with this."

"Well, if it helps, it seems to everyone else that you're doing just fine with this, being her rock and all."

"It doesn't. Lavon, I can't do this again. I just can't, it hurts too much. And believe me, I know how selfish that sounds. She's going through all of this, and I'm the one who can't handle it." I was standing now and raising my voice.

"That's why it sucks for you. She has to go through it, you don't. That's why it's so hard for you to handle. As much as you don't want to admit it, you don't want to be in this position. I know what you mean. There's always going to be that small part of you that wishes she stayed in New York. That you never would have known about this and thought that she just left. It was easier to hate her than to deal with this. I know how you feel Wade, but I also know that you're not that guy."

"Than what guy am I Lavon? Because now would be a great time for that answer." I was yelling at him now, but I wasn't angry at him. I was angry at her.

"You're the guy who pulls it together and gets over it because the girl he's been in love with for three years is in that bedroom dying. That's the kind of guy you are."

"Lavon…you don't understand though. I was praying to God that my mom would just die already by the end of it! I wanted her to die so she wouldn't be in pain or suffer anymore. Everyone else was praying for a miracle and I was praying for an ending. I don't want to sit here and watch her die! I can't do that again! I can't sit here and slowly start to resent her for making me feel this way. I can't be that guy for her. I thought I could, but I can't. I can't hate her like I did my mom." I became aware of the hot tears streaming down my face only when they fell to the floor.

"Wade, I'm sorry that you had to go through that, but you have to understand, your mom didn't want that disease, Zoe doesn't want this disease. Think of how hard this is for her? Do you think she wanted to come back here and tell everyone this? Do you think she wished to come back and change all of our lives? She doesn't want to be a burden to you, and unless something changes, she's going to realize that you can't handle this and you know where she's going to be then? She'll be back in New York!" Lavon finally yelled back at me, and frankly, I deserved it.

The phone rang, interrupting the deafening silence the two of us were sharing. Neither of us moved though, knowing that it would go to voicemail. The voice of the answering machine filled the tension of the room.

"Hey Zoe, it's Chris. Sorry to be calling here, I got this number from your mom. I tried your cell a few times, but I haven't heard anything about how you are since you left, and you promised you'd call. You know I'm worried about you Zo, I don't feel right about how we left things. Please call me back." And just as quick as the voice came, it was gone. And my blood was boiling.

"Who the fuck is Chris?!" I yelled to no one in particular.

"Wade, calm down, you don't know anything about that, it could be a relative, or a friend, or a-"

"Or a boyfriend from New York." I stormed out the back door and furiously shoved my keys into the ignition. I was gone before Lavon could even chase me through the door.

**Zoe's P.O.V.**

I was startled awake by yelling in the house. That was the downside to living with three other people, they were bound to get loud sometimes, and I felt guilty for expecting them to be quiet for me. Annabeth and Lavon must be getting into it. Or so I thought until I heard my boyfriend's voice.

"Lavon…you don't understand though. I was praying to God that my mom would just die already by the end of it! I wanted her to die so she wouldn't be in pain or suffer anymore. Everyone else was praying for a miracle and I was praying for an ending. I don't want to sit here and watch her die! I can't do that again! I can't sit here and slowly start to resent her for making me feel this way. I can't be that guy for her. I thought I could, but I can't. I can't hate her like I did my mom." Even though my world in Bluebell felt like it was ending when he said that, I couldn't make myself stop listening.

"Wade, I'm sorry that you had to go through that, but you have to understand, your mom didn't want that disease, Zoe doesn't want this disease. Think of how hard this is for her? Do you think she wanted to come back here and tell everyone this? Do you think she wished to come back and change all of our lives? She doesn't want to be a burden to you, and unless something changes, she's going to realize that you can't handle this and you know where she's going to be then? She'll be back in New York!" Lavon's reprimanding didn't make me feel any better, but it was appreciated. I knew it was a bad idea to come back to Bluebell. I should've just stayed in New York and not bothered any of them. It would be easier for them to just think that I was a bitch who left without telling them.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was out of bed and collecting my items from around the room. I changed my outfit from my pajamas into a pair of leggings and a sweater. I grabbed my computer and was about to log on when the phone started to ring. I would've answered it, but that would allow Lavon and Wade to know that I was awake and had heard them.

"Hey Zoe, it's Chris. Sorry to be calling here, I got this number from your mom. I tried your cell a few times, but I haven't heard anything about how you are since you left, and you promised you'd call. You know I'm worried about you Zo, I don't feel right about how we left things. Please call me back." I knew before I heard him say anything that Wade would jump to conclusions because that's what Wade did. God, I missed Chris. I wanted to call him right away, realizing that I had forgotten to, but I knew I had a task at hand that would have to come first. I opened up Google and typed in Mobile Regional Airport.

I clicked the "order tickets" button and closed the lid of my computer. I knew I had a few calls to make first, and once I realized I was again alone in the house, I made the first one.

"Hey Chris? Can you pick me up at LaGuardia at midnight? I'm coming home."

**Wade's P.O.V.**

I didn't stop driving until I reached the lake. The whole way there, I prayed that it would be abandoned as it normally was. And as luck may have it, it was today. I was surprised, God let me have something I wanted, that seemed to be a rarity these days.

I stepped out of my car and slammed the door shut. I didn't matter anyway, I was the only one around to hear it, but it gave me a bit of satisfaction. I was still angry, still at her, but also at myself. I was an asshole, even if she didn't know it. I didn't hate her, and I know it's not her fault that she has this disease. I just don't know who else to blame.

Maybe God for handing this battle to her. Maybe myself for not being a better boyfriend in the first place. Maybe Earl for not teaching me how to be a better person. Maybe her for not telling me. Maybe Harley for even being the reason she came to Bluebell in the first place. Maybe Lavon for making us neighbors.

Maybe it wasn't anyone's fault though. Maybe that's just how the universe works. Time's a slut and she screws all of us.

I didn't have time to deal with this. She doesn't have much time left if the chemo doesn't work. My mom ran out of time quite a while ago. And yet it seemed some people had an abundance of time that I wish I had. That I wish she had.

I sat down in the sand and looked onto the lake. This is where I spent most of my time the summer after my mom died. It brought me solstice then; a sense of tranquility. That's why I came back here. But this time, it just made me feel like more and more of a jackass. It was almost 5 in the evening and about an hour drive back. I decided I better head back, or Zoe would worry and start to ask questions.

On the drive back, I couldn't help but hope that Lavon had stayed with her. I hated the thought of her being alone right now. As much as I tried to push it away, the persistent thought of 'then why did you leave her, douchebag?' kept creeping into my mind. About halfway through my drive, I had regretted what I said whole-heartedly. She needed me now more than ever and who was I to be mad at her? Who was I to think that I could decide what was best for her?

I increased my speed as I was more eager to go home and just hold her and hopefully relieve some of my guilt of what I said. She would never know what I said, but I would, and Lavon would, and I couldn't take it back. I just needed to prove to her that I could handle this, and I needed to prove it to myself.

I sprinted out of my car and through the back door when I arrived back at the plantation. I ran straight past Lavon and into our room. I found it mostly empty with the exception of my things and a note on the bed. I knew automatically that it couldn't be good and I almost didn't want to read it. Of course, I had to though.

_Because you shouldn't have to sit here and pray for an ending again…_

My heart broke when I read that. This was by far my worst move. Her note didn't seem to be written with anger though, just sadness. I grabbed the note, and with more seething anger found Lavon.

"What the hell did you tell her?" I asked with my jaw clenched.

"I didn't have to tell her anything, she heard enough from you." He looked at me like he hated me. I hated myself right now.

"Where is she?"

"My guess would be on a plane back to New York by now." He shrugged his shoulders. I grabbed my jacket and my keys.

"Maybe you shouldn't go. Maybe it's best for her if you leave her alone, like you said. If you're going to say things like that than you don't deserve to chase after her." He yelled after me, but I ignored him and started my car up again. I was back on the road within 2 minutes of pulling up to the plantation.

I drove about 45 minutes in the opposite direction of the lake to Mobile. I arrived and prayed that whatever plane she was getting on hadn't left yet. I parked in the temporary parking and pulled something out of my glove box. I didn't care if I got a ticket, I just couldn't let her get on that plane.

I ran past the lobby and did a double take when I saw Annabeth standing watching me. I didn't have time to stop though.

"Gate 9!" She yelled and I had to remember to thank her for that later. I was glad when I saw that the line for security was nearly nonexistent. Maybe things really were looking up for me. I through all of my belongings in a bin and only bothered to grab one thing before running off again, I didn't even put my boots back on, so I was running through the airport in my socks.

I ran all the way to Gate 9, which thankfully looked like it was still inhabited with passengers. As I got closer, I spotted her immediately.

"Zoe! Zoe!" I was yelling, but I hardly noticed the other passengers staring at me. Her head snapped back and I could tell she was tired just by the look on her face.

She stood up and when I got to her, I couldn't talk I was so out of breath. I put my hands on my knees and bent over for a second to try and slow my breathing.

"Wow, I am out of shape." I tried to crack a joke, but she wasn't smiling back.

"Zoe, I am so sorry. You were never supposed to hear any of that. I had a momentary freak out, and I just needed to cool off and think for a second. I'm so sorry baby, I need you just as much as you need me. And this cancer, you can beat this. It's not a death sentence. I was just worried that things would end up like how they did with my mom, and that wrecked me. Please Doc, you have to believe me!" I was talking pretty loudly now, and she looked around and blushed at all of the people in the airport now looking at us.

"Wade- you can't just take back the things you said…"

"I know, and I wish I could, but let me make it up to you. Let me prove to you that I want this, that I want us, that I want you. Let me prove that this isn't too much for me to handle."

"And how do you think you're going to do that? Because Wade, from what I heard earlier, you don't have too much faith in that, so how am I?" I knew that there was no other option than to do what I was about to do. I had to win her back, and I would do whatever I could to achieve that. I just hoped it wouldn't make things worse. I dropped to one knee and heard a collective gasp from the crowd that had formed and Zoe.

"Zoe, let me start off by saying that I'm not doing this because you have cancer. I've had this ring since before you left for New York the first time. I know I've screwed up too many times to count, and you have every right to get on that plane in a few minutes. But just let me say this first. Let me protect you. Let me do whatever in my power I can do to comfort you. Let me love you, and help you whenever I can. Let me prove to you that I'm serious this time, and that I won't hurt you. Let me prove to you that I am the man you think I am. And I'm not saying it has to be this year, or even in the next five, but just someday, let me be the man of your life." I was shaking I was so nervous. It wasn't so much that I was worried about what she was going to say. She had every right to say no and get on the plane, I even half expected her to. I was worried about what happens afterwards when everyone saw me get rejected. I opened the box and showed her the ring, which had been my mothers. I had asked Earl about it only a month after we started dating, not that I planned on proposing that soon, but because I knew someday I would, and I wanted to have it if the moment ever came.

"Wade-I don't know what to say…"

"Yes would be a good start…" I chuckled nervously as I looked up and saw that she had tears in her eyes.

"Okay. Yes, I'll marry you!" She was grinning through her tears now and I slid the ring on her finger. I picked her up and she wrapped her arms around my neck. Usually PDA wasn't my things, but I couldn't help it. I kissed her with as much passion as I had that first night when she asked me to maybe consider being her boyfriend.

I put her down and she looks even more exhausted. I looked at her ticket in her hands, and she must've noticed.

"Just take me home Wade. I've got cancer, I'm tired, my feet hurt, my everything hurts, just take me home." She leaned into me and I put my arm around her. Everyone was clapping, which embarrassed the both of us even more.

"I guess everyone's a sucker for a sick girl love story." I smirked and she grinned and replied with a "guess so."

We picked up my shoes and other belongings from security all while Zoe couldn't tear her eyes off her ring.

"You like it?"

"I love it." She whispered and twisted it on her finger.


	6. Like The First Time

Fix Me

**Zoe's P.O.V.**

"You know, I think we may set the record for the shortest dating time before getting engaged." I grinned as we sat in the car, his one hand on the wheel and his other hand in mine. A smile spread over his face.

"Well, I know it's only been 3 days this time, but I also know that I've loved you since you first came to Bluebell. And that you know me better than anyone. And I have never felt this way about anyone else. I never even thought it was possible to feel this way at all. I certainly didn't plan on doing this tonight, but it feels right."

"It certainly does." I smiled and squeezed his hand. A thought then popped into my mind.

"Oh I have to call Chris!" I saw Wade's face distort, and I realized that he didn't even know who Chris was, and he was probably thinking the worst.

"Wade, Chris isn't an old boyfriend or anything, when I was in New York, a guy contacted me asking to meet up. So we did, and as it turns out, Harley wasn't as much of the guy that everyone in Bluebell thought he was. He got around quite a bit, and Chris is my brother, my half-brother." I said, explaining how weird the whole situation was.

"Harley was a playboy? Harley Wilkes?" Wade couldn't believe it, and it took me a while to understand it too.

"Apparently. He's about two years younger than me, and he's from New York too. This guy was practically my neighbor and I didn't even know it. From what his mom told him, they met while he was at medical conference in New York, and she never told him about Chris. We've grown kind of close, and I told him that I would call when I got settled, and things have just been a bit crazy. So he's no boyfriend." I laughed at the end because the thought of Chris being my boyfriend was gross.

"Wow, a brother…that's a lot to take in."

"Yeah, he said that he might try to come down here and visit, he wants me to show him around and everything, but now, I don't know how much showing I can do." I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. He answered within the first three rings.

"Hey Zo, shouldn't you be on the plane?"

"I…didn't get on. I'm staying here."

"I'm actually glad to hear that. I'm not too sure how I felt about you flying now with everything going on."

"Well my doctor cleared me to fly, but that's besides the point, but I have to tell you something!"

"Okay, well let's hear it!"

"I have to show it to you! Hold on!" I snapped a picture on my phone and sent it to him in a text message.

"Okay, I sent it, check your texts!" I was excited to hear his reaction.

"Zoe Hart, that must be some guy! Wade?"

"Of course it's Wade!" I saw Wade smile from the driver's seat, pleased that I had told my brother about him.

"Well I guess I'm going to have to come meet the guy, huh?"

"I'd like that, I'll call you soon. Love you."

"Love you too!" I hung up the phone and looked back at Wade.

"He wants to come and meet you. I'm so excited about all of this! When should we get married! I don't want to be bald when we get married. I don't want to be sick either…" My tone shifted from happy to sad as I realized that if I wanted a real wedding tat I would have to wait 3 years.

"We'll figure it out. I want to give you a dream wedding, and I'll wait however long it is until we can have that. I'm just glad you said yes."

"What do you think everybody's going to say?" I could already imagine all of Bluebell freaking out.

"They're going to have a field day. Now, why don't you close your eyes and try to rest, it's been a long day." Wade's free hand lifted up and smoothed my hair. I nodded and leaned my head against his arm.

**Wade's P.O.V.**

I pulled in the driveway of the plantation and turned the car off. I nudged Zoe and her eyes drifted open.

"Hey, we're home." I told her and her eyes seem to flood with the memories of the evening. She had panic in her eyes, which scared me to be honest.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I just, what if this is too soon Wade? What you said, even though you said you didn't mean it, part of you had to feel some of those things. And that's okay, I know this whole situation is a lot to take in, and I'm sorry for being such a burden. I don't want to ruin your life, and I just want you to be able to be honest with me and not feel like you have to walk around on eggshells whenever I'm around."

"Listen to me, I know I hurt you when I said those things today. And I'll feel guilty for that for the rest of time, but if you believe one thing for the rest of your life, make it that I love you. I'm going to stand by you no matter what it takes. And about the ring, it doesn't have to mean anything except that I love you if you don't want it to. It doesn't have to be an engagement ring, it can be a promise ring, or just something that you can look down at and know that no matter where you are, or what you're doing, I'm always with you. But I wouldn't have given it to you if I wasn't ready for this. You said the other day that you were embracing life now, so that's what I'm doing. I don't want to waste my days being without you." I cupped her face in my hand as she closed her eyes and tears spilled out. I knew most of this was her true concern for the situation, but a bit of it had to be because she was exhausted.

"I just don't want to ruin what we have now." I kissed her forehead and wiped some of her tears with my thumb.

"You could never. Let's go inside, you have had an extremely long day that no one should ever have, let alone a sick girl. You need your rest." I squeezed her hand and she opened her car door. We went inside and I helped her into bed. I went to undress when she stopped me.

"Wade…"

"Yeah?"

"I love you, and I'm happy you got to me in time to convince me not to get on the plane. And I'm thrilled to have this ring and everything, but I just need a night…" She trailed off and I knew what she was getting at.

"Oh, uh, yeah, sure." I said as I took the blanket from the foot of the bed. I kissed her on the forehead and headed towards the door. I shut the door behind me and hung my head. I wasn't surprised though, I couldn't expect that if I showed up at the airport with a ring that I would be out of the doghouse. I had said some pretty awful things.

I yanked my jeans off, but left my shirt and boxers on for whoever found me in the morning. I pulled the blanket over my body and let my head fall on the pillow.

I woke up to someone poking my chest.

"Wade, Wade, Wade, Wa-"

"What? Dammit Lavon."

"What are you doing on my couch? I gave you a bedroom for a reason." He started to talk towards the kitchen and I rolled over so I was facing the couch cushions.

"You did, and then I got kicked out."

"Serves you right, idiot." He scoffed.

"I know I'm an idiot." I tried to pull one of the cushions over my face.

"What're we talking about?" Annabeth came from their bedroom.

"How much of an idiot Wade is."

"Oh, yeah, you are an idiot, God. What is wrong with you?"

"I know AB, thanks for pointing it out." I grimaced as I sat up on the couch. I pulled my jeans back on from yesterday, but stayed sitting on the couch with my head in my hands. I heard the door open, but I didn't lift my head. I presumed that today would only e more punishment for what I said yesterday.

"Good morning fiancée! God I could get used to saying that!" She exclaimed and came and sat on my lap, wearing only one of my flannel shirts. I could hear Lavon choking on his coffee in the background, but all I could do was give her a look of confusion.

"I missed you last night! That's why I'm wearing this. I thought it would bring me some comfort, but it turns out, it just made me miss you more. And you know what else I miss? I miss being alone with you, like alone, alone." She emphasized _alone_ slowly, making sure I understood what she meant.

"What do you mean fiancée? Why is your fiancée sleeping on my couch? Why is he your fiancée?"

"I'm going to have to side with Lavon on this one. You were mad last night, and rightfully so. What's with the change of heart? Not that I'm not glad to see it, but-"

"Wade, you're rambling. I just was thinking about what you said, and how you don't want to waste your days by not being with me, and I was thinking that you never know when you're going to die, so I'm going to have no regrets, and I'm not going to worry about what other people think, or what my brain is telling me because I'm following my heart now. And my heart is telling me that you should take me back into that bedroom and celebrate being engaged before I throw up my breakfast." She smiled sarcastically at the end and I stood up, with her in my arms, and carried her back to our bedroom. I could hear Lavon shouting from the kitchen, but I tuned him out. The only thing that mattered right now was my girl. And what she wanted, she was going to get.

It was different this time, and I expected it to be. It wasn't bad, or worse than before, just different. It was the first time we had sex since she came home, and I was nervous. I didn't want to hurt her, or be too rough with her. I knew this opportunity wouldn't come around a lot, so I had to use it to my advantage. I had to do most of the work, which I didn't mind at all. But I was gentle, and she seemed to enjoy it. Boy, did I enjoy it. It was different this time. There was no screaming or shouting or clawing or aggressiveness. There was just us two. She fell asleep almost immediately afterwards, but I spent sometime just holding her before I drifted off. I took in every inch of her face, how beautiful it is. Her skin was flawless, and her lips, even though they were dry now, and a bit chapped, were beautiful. I knew that this cancer thing was taking its toll on her, not just emotionally, but physically. It was killing her to see herself turning into this person who she hates, but I don't understand it. She's just as beautiful now as she was the day I met her.

**Lavon's P.O.V.**

AB and I took Zoe's proclamation as a hint to get out of the house, which we did immediately.

"Wanna head to the Rammer Jammer for breakfast?"

"Yes please," she answered, pleased to be leaving the house. We walked the short distance and entered Wade's restaurant. We sat down and perused the menu, but before we could get very far, we were approached by Tom Long.

"How's Zoe doing? We all know about the hospital thing, but we haven't heard anything since."

"She seems to be okay, if this morning was any representation…" Annabeth muttered so only I could hear.

"She started chemo the other day, but Wade's taking care of her, as usual."

"Well, the whole town kind of got together afterwards, and we want to do something for her. Since she can't work right now, we thought about having like a fundraiser, to help offset the costs of all of the procedures and stuff. We just wanted to run it by you first, but we were thinking of like a fun-run type thing? Since she's always trying to get us to exercise, we thought it would be like funny, ironic, you know? And people could pledge money for how far each person runs, and have food vendors and stuff like that."

"Well I think that's a great idea! When would this happen?"

"Well, that's the thing, we checked the town calendar, and the only day that isn't scheduled for anything is today. But you know how quickly the town can throw something together, and we've already talked to the food vendors, and everyone knows already, all we really need is your approval."

"We'd have to work fast, but I'm in, what can I do to help?"

Zoe's P.O.V.

I woke up and rolled over to face Wade. I had a permanent smile on my face it seemed. I was happy for the first time in a long time. I felt energized, I guess the chemo was either working, and making me feel better, or wasn't working at all and I wasn't feeling the effects. I traced lines of Wade's chest and he finally opened his eyes.

"Hello beautiful. How're you feeling?" He leaned over and kissed me.

"I'm feeling really good actually." I smiled, which made him smile.

"Are you hungry?"

"Not really, but I could do some crackers." We got out of bed and I put Wade's t-shirt, leaving him without a shirt, which I was fine with. We sat in the kitchen together; he ate eggs while I had a few crackers. He checked his phone a few times and kept texting. Wade almost never texts, so curiosity got the best of me.

"Who are you texting?"

"Just Lavon, he's at the Rammer Jammer, says that I should probably head down there sometime today since I haven't been in a while." He explained and I nodded. Lavon was probably right, Wade had been spending most of his time with me.

"So if it's alright with you, I'm going to head out in a few minutes, but AB will be back?" I nodded, encouraging him to go. I felt bad for taking all of his time away from his bar.

"Alright, I love you." He kissed me before he ran out the door. AB came in a few minutes later and asked what I wanted to do. I suggested maybe taking a walk around town because I wanted to see a few people, but she said she heard it was going to rain and maybe we should watch a movie instead and save our energy. It sounded logical, and I picked How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days, which was one of my favorites. The movie ended and I was extremely bored, I guess I would have to get used to days like these.

"So Zo, do you want to make some cookies? Surprise the boys when they get home?"

"Sure!" I got up and started to get the eggs from the refrigerator. I preset the oven to 400 degrees and began to collect the rest of the ingredients. Annabeth was busy texting people on her phone.

"You know what? On second thought, it doesn't look like it's going to rain, why don't we head into town like you said?" Annabeth suggested after I had pulled all of the ingredients for cookies out.

"Well, I'm already pretty set to go, why don't we just ma-"

"Nope, no time like the present to go shopping! Let's go into town. Some fresh air will do you good! Now go get changed, I will too! Wear something sporty, like your sneakers if we're going for a walk!" She rambled to me and ushered me back into my room. I rolled my eyes and turned off the oven. I decided on a pair of running shorts since it was pretty humid out today, a sport's bra and a zip up sweatshirt on top. I pulled my sneakers on, thinking about how shocked people were going to be when they saw me dressed like this. This was not Zoe Hart attire unless I was on my jog, which I haven't been able to do in months. But sneakers seemed much more comfortable now adays.

"You ready?" Annabeth asked me and I nodded.

"Let's get some water bottles!" She exclaimed and I nodded again. She was acting strange, but AB was always acting strange. We headed out the door and she asked if we should drive or walk. I told her drive probably because I didn't want to get tired before our walk even started. We drove about two minutes before we came to the edge of town and I thought it was weird that no one was around.

"What in the world…" I pulled the handle to my door when Annabeth pulled up to the Rammer Jammer. Practically the whole town was outside, all waiting for me.

"Surprise!" They all shouted when I got out of the car. Wade ran over to help me over to a table under a tent.

"They all wanted to help! They've been raising money ever since you were sent to the hospital and now they're doing a fun run. Tom Long organized it all, they all really care about you Zo, they're all behind you one hundred percent." Wade informed me as I sat on a fold out chair. Lavon stood in front of the town and began to shout so everyone could here him.

"Thank you all for coming out today. I've known Zoe Hart for years now, and was even her first friend here in Bluebell. When she came home a week ago saying that she had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, I was crushed. I didn't want to watch my friend go through this. But after a day of thinking about it, I thought, if anyone can handle this, it's Zoe Hart. She is the strongest person I know and I knew that Bluebell would be behind her every step of the way. Despite all of the obstacles in her way, she's happier than I've ever seen her. She's happy, she's engaged, may I add, sorry if that was a secret y'all," Lavon winked at Wade and I while I blushed. Now everyone was even more excited.

"Now, I'd like to welcome Zoe up here to maybe say a few words?" Now I was really put on the spot. I stood up and Wade was right by my side, but I shooed him away, I could walk a few feet.

"Hi everybody. Wow, this is just mindblowing. I didn't expect this at all! I just wanted to say how thankful I am for each and every one of you and how you have all impacted my life and influenced my decision to come back home. You all mean the world to me, and I don't know what I would do without you guys. You guys keep me going on the hard days, especially you Wade. Without you, I don't even want to think about where I would be right now. You make my life worth fighting for. I love you, and I love all of you, so I guess, without further adieu, let the race begin!" A shot was heard off in the distance and I moved out of the way so I wouldn't be trampled. Annabeth was the only one who wasn't running, and I was glad to have some company.

"So, how'd you get out of the running?"

"You promise not to speak a word? Not even to Lavon, or Wade?"

"Yes, of course, what is it?"

"I'm pregnant." She said with a smile. I lit up with the thought of her and Lavon having a baby!

"AB! That's great news! I'm so happy for you! I can't believe it! Whena re you going to tell Lavon?"

"Sometime soon, I just wanted it to be the right time, and I didn't want to steal your thunder today."

"My thunder, AB, don't worry about it! This is the best news I've gotten since, well, yesterday I guess! I'm so excited!" I almost felt the need to get out of the chair I was resting on, but my fatigue was too overpowering.

"I would hug you right now, but I'm wiped out." She smiled and said no worries. I checked my watch and wondered what time everyone would be coming back. I got my answer when I saw Lavon leading the pack, with Wade not too far behind. I stood up with AB's help and went over to the finish line to greet them.

"Congratulations! You just ran 5 kilometers! How does it feel?" I hugged Lavon when he crossed the line.

"It feels great! It was worth it for you Zo." He smiled and picked me up in his hug. I felt like I was back in his arms two years ago, before any of this happened.

"Thank you Lavon, this all means so much to me." I felt the tears start to prick in my eyes and was slightly embarrassed, I didn't want to cry in front of the whole town.

"I love you babygirl." Before I knew it, I was in Wade's arms and he was spinning me around.

"I love you too." I kissed him.

"Thank you for doing all of this for me. You're the most amazing, beautiful, handsome, funny, talented, sarcastic, rude, generous, kind, gentle man I know. I can't wait to spend forever with you Wade Kinsella." He just smiled and kissed me again, slowly putting me back down on the ground.

"Drinks at the Rammer Jammer on me everybody!" He shouted and kissed me again.


End file.
